Sonia Kumar MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 27 Feb 2025 · Women’s Health · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore) on securing this important debate. Today, I want to talk about the stigma and embarrassment in relation to women’s incontinence: stress incontinence, urinary or faecal incontinence, and double incontinence. It affects so many aspects of women’s lives: where they go out, how much time they spend out, their relationships and their sleep patterns. And of course there are the effects on their mental and physical health. Working as an NHS physiotherapist, I spoke to women about their incontinence when I did back screening, and I heard over and over again that women felt an overwhelming sense of shame—the fear of the smell, the sense of being dirty and the feeling of always having to check their pad to make sure that it is in place and has not leaked down their leg. It is estimated that a third of women in the UK are living with urinary incontinence. That means someone in this room will have those symptoms. A third of women suffer from a pelvic floor disorder after childbirth, including urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, but only 17% of women actually seek help. I would recommend to any woman who is suffering that she seek professional help from her GP or specialist. What we do not talk about for both faecal and urinary incontinence is the psychological problems, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, sexual problems, social isolation, physical problems, skin breakdowns, and the falls when having to get to the toilet as quickly as possible. At the moment, we also know there is an economic case that is also very compelling. Research shows that every £1 spent on women’s health services will return up to £13 back into our emergency services by reducing women going to A&E and GP appointments. So what do I, as a clinician, propose? As a physiotherapist, of course I propose physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is the first line of intervention preventing mild to moderate incontinence and prolapse. It is therefore essential that we have women’s health physiotherapists in hubs locally as they are rolled out. We should also take a multifaceted approach to urinary and faecal incontinence, where women’s mental health, physical health, lifestyle—their caffeine and dietary intake—and the incontinence all get addressed. We should also make sure that, when people need the most help, referrals to secondary care or a surgeon are optimal. We also need to get the first line of treatment for incontinence on to our high streets, making it more accessible for women to get self-referrals as quickly as possible. We should not have a barrier to speaking to a healthcare professional or a GP; women should be able to go into a high street pharmacist and say, “I’ve got incontinence. What can be done to help?” I welcome the Government’s steps for women’s health hubs, but we need to go further by making sure that there is a national campaign so that women know that those hubs exist. I say to the women listening to this Westminster Hall debate: you are not alone and there is no shame. As a nation, we cannot allow women to feel shame or embarrassment about this topic any longer. Incontinence is common, so will my hon. Members join me in my mission to break the silence, end the stigma and eliminate the anxiety around incontinence?

• 25 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Gaza’s healthcare system has been devastated, and many civilians are in desperate need of treatment and specialist care, which is not available in Gaza itself. Will the Minister ensure that the Government continue to raise with Israel the importance of allowing safe passage out of Gaza for those children in need of urgent medical treatment? Will they consider additional evacuation routes for critically unwell children?

• 25 Feb 2025 · SEND Education Support · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk Coastal (Jenny Riddell-Carpenter) for securing this important debate. This issue resonates deeply with families in Dudley and across the nation. We all know that too many families are navigating a SEND system that is too difficult. Assessments are taking too long, support is inconsistent, and local authorities are under huge pressure to meet the increasing demand. Schools are struggling with managing children with no diagnosis and supporting those with a diagnosis. In the 2024 autumn Budget, £1 billion of specifically allocated SEND funding was announced. That investment is vital to tackle the challenges that parents and schools face every day. Dudley is no exception to the issues that have been raised. The number of children with education, health and care plans has risen significantly, reflecting the growing need for specialist support. We must confront the fact that too many families and schools feel that they have to fight the system just to get the right support for their children. My constituent Catherine Beaman has had to set up her own SEND support group in Sedgley, as there is no wraparound service. That simply is not right. While funding is increasing and reforms are under way, families want to feel that our children will get the support they deserve. I ask the Government to move faster and more efficiently to improve the system. I believe that an early diagnosis is key for our children to get the best start in life, but support is required throughout an individual’s lifetime. I ask the Minister to develop a cross-departmental strategy on SEND for the future of our children.

• 24 Feb 2025 · Plant Oxford Site · Hansard source

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  Will the Minister update the House on progress on the industrial strategy for the automotive industry? How will that support supply chains in places like Dudley and across the west midlands?

• 13 Feb 2025 · Cardiovascular Disease: Prevention · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this important debate. Cardiovascular disease is a phrase heard far too often in family circles, large communities and even on the national scale. Cardiovascular disease is responsible for one in four deaths in the UK, and causes misery to many families. In Dudley alone, 10,000 people are living with heart conditions and circulatory diseases. Across the Black Country integrated care system, 11,000 people are waiting for cardiac treatment; nearly 5,000 have already waited longer than the NHS target. Those numbers translate into our everyday lives—in strokes, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes and heart conditions. Every delay means more emergencies and, tragically, more preventable deaths. We must act now. Prevention and early intervention are critical to combating cardiovascular disease. We know that obesity, high blood pressure and smoking are risk factors. In Dudley, 30% of adults are living with obesity—higher than the national average—and 16% are smokers still. I welcome the Government’s initiatives to tackle smoking and encourage weight loss, and I believe that addressing and diagnosing cardiovascular conditions will help our population to live healthier lives. It is not just our fantastic doctors who are experts in cardiovascular care but our allied health professionals. AHPs have a big role in diagnosing and managing cardiovascular diseases. As a physiotherapist by trade, I screen for cardiovascular conditions, which can masquerade as musculoskeletal conditions. I check blood pressure and carotid pulse, perform auscultation, check for neurological conditions, and conduct vascular exams and cranial nerve testing of the face. Physiotherapists are involved not only in assessments but in rehabilitation at places such as Action Heart in Dudley, which is inundated with referrals, and where patients get excellent care through cardiovascular rehabilitation and preventive programmes. My podiatry colleagues check for peripheral vascular disease and diabetic foot, and are a fountain of knowledge. My occupational therapist, and speech and language therapist colleagues do exceptional work with stroke patients. My radiology colleagues help with diagnosing these conditions. My paramedic colleagues manage these patients in acute care when they need it the most. An AHP myself, I could talk about AHPs all day but I want to present some recommendations for steps that the Government could take to make a big difference. First, a multidisciplinary team is important. We should ensure that AHPs are at the centre when making policy decisions and announcements, not just for cardiovascular conditions but for all conditions; they are not just tackled by doctors. Secondly, we should ensure that diagnosis and check-ups are being done in general practice. Along with GPs, we should look at first contact practitioners, podiatrists, paramedics and physiotherapists, who also work in primary healthcare; and pharmacists, who can do the simple checks to check blood pressure early on. Thirdly, we should provide substantial and ringfenced funding for local health systems to scale up successful CVD risk management programmes. That is essential for us to move forward, and should include cardiovascular rehabilitation and prescription of gym memberships in the community, to ensure that those who need care have structured, long-term support with an emphasis on healthier lifestyles. We owe it to our communities, to the NHS, and most of all to the thousands of people living with cardiovascular disease to change now. Let us not wait for more lives to be lost.

• 13 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last weekend, I went to see Dudley Town FC draw 1-1 at home against Lichfield City. Unfortunately, that “home game” was not within the constituency. In fact, Dudley has not had a stadium in the constituency for decades, despite being established in 1888. Will the Leader of the House provide Government time for a debate on grassroots football and how we can bring clubs like mine back home where they belong?

• 5 Feb 2025 · Gambling Harms · Hansard source

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  Organisations such as Gordon Moody in my constituency provide essential and invaluable residential treatment for individuals suffering from severe gambling addiction, as well as mental health services and advice about how to detangle addiction. How are the Government supporting those organisations in their efforts to prevent gambling-related suicide, and does the Minister agree that an expansion of Government-backed rehabilitation services, especially those focused on children, is essential?

• 21 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My constituency has a proud industrial heritage, with manufacturing still worth £1 billion a year to the local economy from sectors that account for nearly 10% of the UK’s total economic output. What steps have the Government taken to promote the growth of the manufacturing sector and ensure that towns like Dudley continue to build on their industrial traditions?

• 20 Jan 2025 · Obesity: Food and Diet · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) for securing this important debate. The growing prevalence of obesity is a public emergency. It is profoundly affecting not only individuals’ lives, but the economic and social fabric of our nation. Let me clearly state that this is not a debate about willpower or individual choice; it is about the systems, environments and inequalities that shape those choices. What does it say about our country when children in areas of deprivation are twice as likely to experience obesity as their peers in wealthier communities, when children in the least well-off families eat significantly fewer fruit and vegetables, or when families with the lowest incomes are more than twice as likely to consume diets that are high in sugar, salt and fat? To me, it says that we are failing those on the lowest incomes. As a physiotherapist, I have worked with families grappling with the challenges of facing childhood obesity. I have seen the emotional toll on children who are bullied or excluded, and the frustration of parents who have no access to affordable, healthy food or safe spaces for their children to play in. Medical practitioners are also witnessing the impact on people’s mental health. Obesity is not merely about calories in and calories out; the medical journal The Lancet has rightly described it as a “complex adaptive system”. There is a battle to be had against obesity on so many levels. It starts with Government policies on housing and education and behaviour relating to diet and exercise. There are also biological factors at play, including genetics, age and ethnicity. The further statistics are alarming. In England, two thirds of adults live with obesity or are overweight, and 29% are severely obese. Among children, the situation is equally troubling. The weight of one in five children entering primary school is above a healthy level, and by the time they leave, the figure rises to one in three. This is compounded by societal changes and challenges: the high cost of living and of healthy food; the prevalence of products high in fat, sugar or salt; and environments saturated with fast-food outlets and inadequate green spaces. The financial costs are staggering. Obesity-related illnesses currently cost the NHS £6.5 billion a year, a figure projected to rise to £9.7 billion by 2050. Across the economy, the broader impact, including loss of productivity, has been estimated to be £98 billion each year. To address this multifaceted crisis, we must adopt a systematic, whole-society approach. We need key interventions to help us to deal with our obesity public health problem. We must make changes such as expanding the healthy start scheme and increasing the value of payments to reflect rising food costs; perhaps looking again at the advertising ban and considering whether we should go further; incentivising businesses to reformulate products to reduce salt, sugar and fat content; supporting after-school activities hubs to increase physical activity among children; strengthening school food standards to ensure that children have access to nutritional food; creating and maintaining safe, accessible green spaces, thus encouraging outdoor activity, reducing sedentary behaviour and improving mental health; and designing urban environments that prioritise active travel such as walking and cycling through better infrastructure—for instance, cycle lanes and pedestrian zones. The Government should adopt a comprehensive food strategy with independent oversight from the Food Standards Agency. Targets should be set for reducing the availability of products with high levels of fat, sugar or salt, and increasing the number of healthier food options. Local authorities should be empowered with greater planning and licensing control to limit the proliferation of fast-food outlets and promote healthier eating. Parliament has a responsibility to lead on this issue. We must move away from the medicalised paradigm that isolates obesity as an individual issue, and focus on the societal structure that underpins it. Policies must address the root causes of inequality, which drive the disproportionate impact of obesity on lower-income families. I call on the Government to enact bold, decisive measures to transform our food system and environment. This is not just about health; it is about fairness, opportunity and creating a future in which no child’s potential is limited by the circumstances of where they were born. Let us grab the opportunity to address obesity comprehensively by putting health, equality and wellbeing at the heart of our policies.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  I welcome the news of a ceasefire deal after 15 months of devastation, destruction and loss of life. The release of hostages is vital, ensuring their safety and swift return to their families. There has been unimaginable suffering, and the ceasefire must be a turning point. It is imperative that the UK leverages our diplomatic influence to ensure stability while urgently stepping up humanitarian aid in Gaza; food, medicine and fuel must reach those who desperately need them without delay. Can the Secretary of State tell the House what diplomatic contributions the UK will make to ensure the ceasefire’s stability when we move towards the latter and more fragile stages of a multi-stage agreement?

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  I agree with the hon. Gentleman—I will call him my hon. Friend. Extending parking discounts beyond an hour would mean that people who want to get a coffee are not charged £1.80 for one hour’s parking, which is what has been implemented in my constituency. They would spend more time in the town centre, and that would increase footfall.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  I agree with my hon. Friend, because town centre accessibility is really quite difficult. We do not have a tram system or any local trains; we only have a bus service, which can be ad hoc at times. Consequently, I welcome the new consultation period that Richard Parker, our Labour mayor, has suggested. This is not the time to increase parking charges, because, as has been said before, parking remains a critical lifeline for many high streets, especially for those customers on low incomes in Dudley and elsewhere. Rising parking charges are pushing customers away from Dudley town centre and into out-of-town retail parks such as Merry Hill, which have free parking, and encouraging them to shop online. It is crucial that we consider the long-term impact of these charges for traders and local small and medium-sized enterprises; they are the backbone of the economy. On a recent walk around Dudley town centre, I counted up to 35 empty shops. A staggering amount of those shops struggled due to austerity measures, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  Yes, I do, and a long-standing trader in my constituency, Christine Bosworth, also agrees. She has been operating for the last 13 years in a craft shop and she shared with me some really poignant points that I would like to share. Christine said that there has been a really big drop in footfall in the constituency and in the town centre, and that it is an “eye-opener” that there now is a lack of accessibility to the town centre. The nearest car park is unusable and too expensive, while cheaper options are too far away for elderly and disabled people to use. Traders tied into long leases face mounting pressures to ensure that people can access the town centre. Changes have been made without proper consultation and risk further eroding the vibrancy of our historic town centre. Bruno Coppola, manager of the Churchill shopping centre in Dudley, has shared concerns with me about the impact that the charges have on local businesses. Many traders have faced challenges for many years, including with covid-19.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  I agree 100% with my hon. Friend, whose opinions I really respect. Parking charges have become a cash cow. It is absolutely absurd that councils across the country, including Dudley council, have implemented them. We need to think about how to drive footfall, not reduce it, in our town centres. I feel like we are robbing Peter so Paul can cut a ribbon. Clearly, there is a fair balance to be struck between generating revenue through parking charges and ensuring the vibrancy and accessibility of town centres, but too many authorities are not getting that balance right.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  An hour’s free parking is one of the proposals that I have put forward to the leader of my local council. If somebody wants to grab a coffee in the town centre, they do not want to pay a parking charge, then get their coffee and leave. That is only driving business out. As I was saying, Bruno and a number of traders around the town centre told me that it is not just Dudley town centre that is being affected; the same thing is happening in many other town centres across the country. The additional problem with my town centre is disruption from the ongoing construction work around the main transport area, which is affecting the bus service and the tram line, so more people are being forced to use their cars.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  I agree with my hon. Friend. The contractors need to look at what they are doing in the town centres and where that money is going—back into the economy, local businesses and to residents. The future of the high street relies on the ability to adapt and offer a range of experiences that draw people in—not just through retail but through leisure and community activities such as health, alongside the accessibility of services. I asked my council to reconsider its approach to parking charges. It is important that we strike the right balance that allows for continued access and vibrancy of our towns, which underpin our businesses. In Dudley, the proposed increase in parking charges hurts not just traders but local residents who rely on car access due to the lack of alternative public transport options. For instance, students from low-income backgrounds who rely on their cars to get to the a learning or development centre will be forced to reconsider studies if the cost of parking becomes too burdensome. Those are students who want to upskill and contribute to the local economy, yet they face the prospect of being priced out of an education by those parking charges. In addition, the students and local residents who visit the leisure centre for their health and wellbeing will also feel the pinch. Many use the facilities regularly; I spoke to an 80-year-old member of the leisure centre who said it was a vital lifeline for socialising and community connection. The proposed charges would essentially double the cost of membership for every daily user, impacting the very fabric of our community. If the parking charges are to continue, they should be reinvested into the community and businesses alike, providing a sustainable model for traders where businesses and residents reap the benefits. Each town will need its own unique solution depending on its size and needs. The implementation of those solutions must be relative to the scale of the problem of each town, and the voice of the community should be at the heart of all decisions. A thorough consultation should be conducted prior to the implementation of any charges made to a town centre. Let us treat car parking not as a peripheral issue, but as an integral component of a broader strategy for future town planning and revitalising our town centres.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of parking in town centres. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss. I rise to voice concerns about increased parking fees. Local authorities across the country are trying to claw their way out of financial difficulties by increasing parking fees and in my constituency, Dudley council has implemented such changes, which have been subject to much debate. Our high streets and leisure centres are the heart of our communities. They provide social and economic value for residents in Dudley and across the UK, but in recent years we have seen too many once-thriving high streets fail. Successive Governments have attempted to reverse the trend by introducing grant funding for high street improvements, business improvement districts, empty shop strategies and business rate relief—the list goes on—but many of those measures were required only because of mistakes in development policy over the past 14 years. Council budgets have been eroded, forcing councils to make impossible decisions, and the previous Government’s levelling-up funding seems contradictory in hindsight. Ultimately, it is local people who are suffering. Luckily, many councils have learned from those mistakes and proactively avoided developments that undermine the viability of high streets, but the rise of internet shopping has continued to drive shoppers from our historic towns, and long-standing traders in Dudley have suffered.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  I thank all those who have contributed to this powerful debate. Violence against women and girls is a grave issue that urgently demands our attention and action. It is a distressing reality that countless women and girls across the UK continue to live in fear and face unacceptable violence. However, the digital era has led to a new arena for abuse, with the rise of online emotional abuse, emotional blackmail, harassment, pressure and coercion to send sexual images, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and technologies such as deepfakes presenting urgent challenges. Perpetrators are exploiting digital technology to escalate abuse online to the real world. Most worryingly, abuse is now faceless. I will highlight online abuse in this debate. In deepfakes and synthetic media, a person’s likeness is manipulated to create false and often explicit content, which is weaponised. It is disproportionately women and girls who are affected. Our 2023 report found that 98% of deepfake videos are pornographic, and 99% of victims are women. The recent Ofcom report sheds further light on the scale of the problem. Alarmingly, one in seven adults reports having seen sexual deepfakes. Even more troublingly, 17% of adults thought that deepfakes depicted someone under the age of 18. Those figures expose the harrowing reach of this technology and its potential harm to women, girls and young children. The report also highlights a critical gap in awareness. Nine per cent of adults say that they are not confident that they could identify a deepfake. I welcome the Government’s recent announcement on criminalising the creation of explicit deepfakes without consent. However, legislation is not enough. Ofcom’s report underscores the need for a co-ordinated response involving Government, tech companies and civil society to tackle the issue. Developing tools to detect and remove harmful content is absolutely vital, as is ensuring that law enforcement agencies act swiftly to get the images removed. Education is equally important. Many victims are unaware of the risks, and public awareness campaigns can play a vital role in empowering individuals to recognise and report harmful content. Education is not just for the victims, but for young people, young men and men in society. Additionally, we must work with educators to ensure that we have the digital literacy to safely navigate the changing landscape. While technology brings tremendous benefits to our lives, its misuse should not disproportionately affect women and girls. Legislation like that recently announced by the Government is a vital step forward, but it must be accompanied by systemic change and cultural awareness to ensure that all individuals, including all women and girls, can live free from fear and abuse, online and offline.